Large Format iPod Touch – The Apple Tablet?

Techcrunch is reporting from ‘reliable sources’ that there is going to be a new large format iPod Touch coming in the fall of next year. Could this be the ‘Apple Tablet’ we’ve been waiting to get our hands on? I agree with most of the statements in the article and they make sense, but for me it’s going to have to be more than just a iPod that’s bigger… It’s going to have to do more because I don’t see a lot of sales if everyone (millions at least) already have a Touch or iPhone. Being a bigger ‘gaming’ device with iPod functionality doesn’t do it either, the point of most music players are to be small. I don’t doubt the sources about a larger device, it seems a long time coming, but it’s going to have to be a lot more than just a big iPod for the masses to run for it like they did for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

8 Comments

GoodThings2Life

12/30/2008 at 8:29 pm

Hmm, I’m not real inclined to believe any rumors regarding Apple products just because most of them turn out to be nonsense or vaporware.

Still, I do agree with you that simply making a large iPod Touch isn’t all that appealing unless they plan on trying to really market it as a portable gaming platform like Gameboy or PSP… but that opens them up to a whole new can of worms that I’m just not sure they’re willing to jump into yet. That market is pretty competitive, and I don’t see playing novelty games on an iPod as a great way to steal market share from the Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft triumvirate.

I also don’t seem them turning it into a full-fledged Tablet either being that Jobs himself is on record as claiming he sees it as a worthless platform.

The only reason I could potentially give this some credibility is if this would end up being their answer to netbooks. This might be how they can justify a $500-600 ultra-portable device, and just look at all the rave reviews the iPhone and iPod get already.

oliver

12/30/2008 at 10:38 pm

well, I am reading your feed and posting this message from my iPhone while watching tv at home. A larger screen device with essentially the same functionality (and maybe more) would be more than welcome here.

itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s going to have to be more than just a iPod thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s biggerÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s going to have to do more because I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t see a lot of sales if everyone (millions at least) already have a Touch or iPhone. Being a bigger Ã¢â‚¬ËœgamingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ device.i am eagerly waiting for its lounching

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fraggo

12/31/2008 at 10:15 am

Looking at the OQO 02+, with its sweet OLED WVGA screen it just might be what Apple is aiming for; a 5 inch form factor. Not a lot of manufacturers produce OLED so Apple might directly use the same screens used in the OQO 02+. It’s the perfect size that can still fit in the pocket but also has the DVD resolution which is better for content viewing. Archos has something like this but Apple with its App store can gain the upper hand should they make something slightly larger.

GoodThings2Life

For a bigger iPhone to make sense, it would need to be more Tablet-like. One crucial ability would be to be more open to running existing web content such as Flash and Java, environments that are currently restricted because of their capabilities, not their requirements.

Also, Apple needs to loosen upon their process for approving software. As an example, none of the Revere Polish calculators is really usable on the original iPod touch. Apple’s calculator, however, is usable because it uses an undocumented API call to make key click noises not requiring earphones. Developers are convinced Apple will reject their programs if they use undocumented callsto give auditory feedback. The process of getting software onto a Tablet needs to be more like the Windows Tablet experience before people wilt take an Apple Tablet very seriously.